1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to wireless network resource allocation.
2. Description of Related Art
Allocation of wireless network resources is becoming critical due to increased volume of wireless communication devices. Conventional resource allocation techniques consider only communication conditions between a terminal and a serving base station to determine whether to allocate or change allocation of wireless network resources. However, such resource allocation techniques may be inefficient with respect to spectrum usage, for example. Other methods have been proposed to more efficiently use wireless network resources to accommodate a greater number of terminals. Unfortunately, these methods require large amounts of processing power. Thus, new technology is needed to increase resource usage efficiency and reduce computational power required to allocate wireless network resources.
This invention provides an efficient wireless resource allocation technique where a communication link is allocated wireless network resources based on an optimum system gain based on link neighborhoods. System gain may be the difference between a maximum performance (e.g., throughput rate) for a selected link and the performance loss of non-selected links that may be affected by the selected link if the selected link is allocated resources. A non-selected link is affected if the selected link is within its link neighborhood. The selected link is allocated wireless network resources only if a largest system gain across all links is greater than a gain threshold, and if so, the selected link is allocated resources consistent with the largest system gain.
The performance loss experienced by any non-selected link is called damage to that link. Damage is determined in a pair-wise fashion based on a nominal performance. The nominal performance may be defined by a number of techniques. For example, the nominal performance may be the performance of a link if interference is experienced only from other links which are outside a link neighborhood of the link. This definition of link neighborhood may be dynamically adjusted to include all other links that may cause interference above a link threshold. For example, such a link neighborhood may be geographically defined, because the greater geographical separation, the less likely interference will occur. The nominal performance for a link may be a system specified parameter or defined as a maximum performance for that link if the only interference is experienced from a largest interfering source that is outside its link neighborhood.
The damage for a link i, caused by a link j, is the difference between the nominal performance of link i and the performance of the link i if interference is experienced from the link j. The above definition for damage is computationally efficient because computation for damage to the link i only requires consideration of the nominal performance of the link i, and the performance of the link i when receiving interference from the link j. In addition, the concept of link neighborhoods limits inter-base station communications and thus reduces base station interconnect costs required to support wireless communication resource allocation.